Can't decide between Rickenbacker 4003 vs. 4001

[bobyoung53]

So we were sort of right, but didn't have the whole story. Thanks!

Well you had the basic idea which is what really counts. I have played round wounds on 4001's though in fact did for years just not really heavy gauges.

 

[msb]

When I first got my 4001 I went on the Ric Resource Forum to ask about bypassing the .0047 cap . Some guy named John Hall immediately replied to my question . About two weeks later I realized he owned the company .
I was kinda shocked to see he took the time to answer a question about an older instrument .

 

[rickdog]

Azureglo is beautiful.

It's also opaque, so you can't see the "skunk stripe" shedua strip laminated down the middle of the neck. I've gotten the impression (from others' posts) that it's at least partially responsible for the stability of the necks on the '70s 4001s. I know my '72 is 1) thin and 2) stable.

 

[rickdog]

Azureglo is beautiful.

It's also opaque, so you can't see the "skunk stripe" shedua strip laminated down the middle of the neck. I've gotten the impression (from others' posts) that it's at least partially responsible for the stability of the necks on the '70s 4001s. I know my '72 is 1) thin and 2) stable.

 

[bobyoung53]

You are clearly describing a lot of variation across the range of Rics you have owned. So I don't really think you and I are disagreeing. Apparently you like pretty much all Rics and I am a bit of a cork sniffer who thinks some are great, but many are not worth my time or effort.

I do feel my experience with Rics is a little worse than my experience with other brands. However, I have gone to stores and played plenty of Fender, Music Man, Ibanez, ..., etc and been thoroughly unimpressed. I have even played super high-end basses like Alembics that I thought were absolutely awful, although they looked really nice.

If I pick up a bass and it doesn't sound nice and feel good in my hands, it's not going home with me. I have played plenty of basses with a bad setup that still had a great feel and sound that put a smile on my face. If the shape and contour of the neck feels bad, and the strings don't speak in a way that I find pleasing, the bass goes back on the rack.

That being said, I own 8 basses and more than half of them were bought sight unseen. Luckily no dogs in the collection. I wouldn't say most of them are extraordinarily good either.

Oh one more thing, when I started doing that in 1990 you could buy nice used ones for 500 bucks anyplace. I remember paying 800 bucks for a mint fireglo 1975 4001 and asking Daddy's Junky Music why they wanted so much for it, this was probably in 2002-2003.

 

[bobyoung53]

When I first got my 4001 I went on the Ric Resource Forum to ask about bypassing the .0047 cap . Some guy named John Hall immediately replied to my question . About two weeks later I realized he owned the company .
I was kinda shocked to see he took the time to answer a question about an older instrument .

I always liked him, I still remember a lot of things he used to say, he was very helpful. He sent me a couple of emails years ago because I stuck up for him in an argument at the Ric Forum. I think he posts there again after getting chased off some years ago.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I played a Rickenbacker 4003 Autumnglo Limited.
Loved the sound and liked the matte finish, but i found the neck was very chunky (i have smaller hands) which and the overall body balance wasn't that great either. It was rather neck divey. When playing this Bass it felt you had more neck than body. Maybe i can get used to it however, i don't know.

I heard that Rickenbacker 4001 70s had slimmer necks, smaller headstock, larger and heavier body and therefore better balance and playability. I can imagine that i'm not a big fan of the glossy finish on the neck as well as on the fretboard tho. I sadly never tried one and don't have the ability to do so in the future. I heard some horror stories of neck bends, which make me question if the 4001 really is the right choice.

Soundwise i heard that some people think that the newer ones are better but then there are as many people saying the old one sounds superior.

Any suggestions?

I’ve played several Ricks over the last several decades. None of the newer ones compare to my ‘73 4001 from a playability standpoint.

 

[msb]

Well , when he took the time to answer my question about an older instrument I had to like him . And I do . And I respect his position on infringers .
From what I understand his son is pretty much running things now . And we’ve seen some changes in things . Rickenbacker has never had a CBS or Norlin period . And some say their finest instruments are being made today . I find their instruments unique . I’ve played them for many years , and I love them . And when I put one on my knee it feels like home .
Some may go out of their way to bash Rics . But as I said , I’ve played them for many years , and I love them .

 

[EliasMessiah]

UPDATE:

The Azureglo arrived yesterday and well, the electronics don't work...
In the standard input jack i can only use the bridge pickup, which has some weird peaks on the E-string.
In Ric-O-Sound both pickups work but i get signal loss and distortion if the plug moves a bit.

Pretty disappointing so far But it sounds, looks and feels great, so i would be willing to get it repaired.
That Mojo that people are talking about certainly is true when it comes to older Rics. I felt it too.

Today i tried to set up the truss rod, since the neck was pretty bowed even when tuning D-Standard.
I clamped the bass on the table, forced the neck into position and then tightened the screws.
After not getting the results i wanted, i loosened the screws, applied more force and tightened it again.
The last time i used so much force, that i didn't wanted to go beyond it and still... It's like the truss rod doesn't hold the neck in place. Maybe i did something wrong but tho, i don't know. I'm gonna do more research about this topic.

But overall i'm kinda sad, i'll definitely contact the seller about it.